1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a releasable double-hinge device to be suitably used for the lid of an automobile console box or an electric rice boiler or the door of a cabinet in order for the lid or the door to be capable of being opened from either of opposite ends and totally removed.
2. Background Information
As shown in FIG. 8 of the accompanying drawings, an automobile is normally provided at a side of the driver's seat with a console box b for storing small items having a lid c which is preferably hinged not only at the front end d but also at the rear end e for user's convenience.
FIGS. 9(A) and 9(B) show that the lid of the console box is hinged at both the front and rear ends and therefore can be swung open in the direction of not only arrow f but also arrow g. FIG. 9(C) shows that the lid c can be totally removed from the console box whenever necessary. FIG. 10(A) and 10(B) show a known releasable double-hinge device to be used for such a console box.
With a known releasable double-hinge device as illustrated in FIG. 10(A) and disclosed in Japanese Patent Tokkai Shou No. 60-242275, the box main body h is provided at opposite sides with a pair of oppositely arranged lock holes i, into which a pair of lock pins k arranged on the corresponding side of the lid j can be respectively introduced first by depressing them by means of a hand-operated implement (not shown) against the resilient force of a built-in spring and thereafter by releasing them into the respective holes. Obviously, such an operation is cumbersome as it requires manipulation of an implement, particularly so when the lid j is removed because both hands should be used for the operation.
With another known releasable double-hinge device as illustrated in FIG. 10(B) and disclosed in Japanese Patent Jitsukai Shou No. 60-90042, the box main body 1 is provided at each of a pair of opposing sides with a pair of oppositely arranged pins m and n, which are received by respective C-shaped deformable bearings p or g arranged on the corresponding edges of the lid o. The lid o equipped with such a double-hinge device would not rotate smoothly when the engagement between the pin and the bearing is loose. However, when a smoothly rotatable engagement is achieved between the pin and the bearing, it requires considerable effort to remove or replace the lid.
A similar device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Jitsukai Hei No. 1-86674 involving a lever which is operated to install a lid. While a door lock device designed for a refrigerator and disclosed in Japanese Patent Tokkai Shou No. 59-52183, and a door fitting structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Tokkai Shou No. 58-86277 may fall in the same category as the present invention, they have rather complicated configurations involving latches, springs and knobs.
In view of the problems and disadvantages of the known devices, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a releasable double-hinge device for an automobile console box constituted by a box main body having at the top an opening and a box lid for removably covering the opening of the box main body. The double-hinge device comprises two sets of an identical number of pivotal pillars arranged along the lateral edges of the box main body, each pivotal pillar having an upright member, an anchor pin to which the base portion of said upright member is pivotally anchored at the lower end in such a manner that it may be tilted left or right from an upright position through a given angle and returned to its upright position by means of a recoil spring, a horizontal lock shaft extending from the top of the upright member along the lateral edge where the pivotal pillar stands, and two sets of the same number of lock sections arranged at corresponding respective positions under and along the lateral edges of the box lid, each lock section having a slot for removably receiving a corresponding horizontal lock shaft in such a manner that said lock section and said lock shaft are released from each other along with the other lock sections and lock shafts on the same edge by laterally moving the box lid so that the box lid may be swung open around the opposite edge, said lock section further having an inclined edge for pressing itself against the lock shaft to tilt the pivotal pillar and guide the lock shaft into the slot to close and lock the box lid as the upright member is returned to the upright position by said recoil spring.
In a first modified arrangement of the releasable double-hinge device according to the invention, said slot of the lock section is open at the outer lower end so that the lock section and the lock shaft of the corresponding pivotal pillar may be released from each other by laterally moving the box lid. The pivotal pillar further comprises an anti-slip-out member provided with a stopper portion that a corresponding slider member on the box lid detachably abuts when the box lid is closed.
In a second modified arrangement of the releasable double-hinge device according to the invention, said pivotal pillar is pivotal to the outside by a small angle and pivotal to the inside by a larger angle. The slot of the lock section is open at the inner end in such a manner that, when each of the pivotal pillars arranged on either side of the box main body is tilted by said smaller angle, the lock shaft is urged to release itself from the slot by the resilient force of the recoil spring, while each of the pivotal pillars arranged on the opposite side of the box main body is tilted by said larger angle so that the corresponding lock section is releasable from the lock shaft of the pivotal pillar.
When the box lid is closed relative to the box main body equipped with a releasable double-hinge device according to the invention, all the lock shafts arranged on both lateral edges are engaged with the respective slots of the lock sections of the box lid so that it would not unintentionally open if it is simply pulled upward.
In order to open the box lid, first it is moved left or right until all the pivotal pillars on either lateral edge are tilted by a given angle against the resilient force of the recoil springs so that the lock shafts on the other edge are disengaged from the corresponding respective slots and the box lid may be swung open around said first edge. Similarly, if the box lid is moved in the opposite direction, it will become swingable around the other lateral edge.
When the box lid which is open is pushed down for closing, first the inclined edges of the lock sections of the open end of the box lid abut the corresponding respective lock shafts of the pivotal pillars arranged on that end to tilt them against the resilient force of the recoil springs until the lock shafts come to be automatically received and locked by the respective slots due to the resilient force of the springs.
After moving the box lid to either side and opening it at an edge, it may be totally removed from the box main body by moving it to the opposite direction and repeating a similar operation to disengage the lock shafts and the corresponding respective lock sections on the other edge.
With the first modified arrangement of the invention as described above, the slider members arranged on a lateral side of the box lid abut the corresponding respective stopper portions of the anti-slip-out members on the corresponding edge of the box main body and are held there by them so that the lock shafts of the box lid on that edge will not come out of the respective slots if the box lid is pulled up by force.
With the second modified arrangement of the invention as described above, since the pivotal pillars on a lateral edge of the box main body are tilted along with the accompanying lock shafts only through a small angle and would not be tilted any further when the box lid is moved sideways, the pivotal pillars store the force to regain their original upright position. The recoil springs that have been twisted through a small angle safely release the lock shafts from the slots of the respective lock sections.
Now the present invention will be described in greater detail by referring to the accompanying drawings that illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention.